Related Publications

Next Gen N. Carolina Driver Licenses Will Target Non-Citizens

"The move by North Carolina to clearly mark all people who are not U.S. citizens on their next driver’s license raises a personal concern for Winston-Salem attorney Helen Parsonage, a British citizen who is a “permanent resident” in the U.S. “It feels like discrimination,” Parsonage said. For Scottish-born Allin Cottrell, a permanent resident in the U.S. for 30 years, immigration matters should be left up to the federal government. “They (state officials) shouldn’t be able to parade that information” on the license, said Cottrell, an economics professor at Wake Forest University. “It seems to me that’s my business if I want to share it.” The Winston-Salem Journal reported this week that the N.C. Department of Transportation will clearly mark licenses issued to all noncitizens, including such people as Parsonage, Cottrell, work-visa holders and permanent residents with “green cards,” including business executives." - Winston-Salem Journal, Feb. 23, 2013.